15 New Bourbons To Drink For National Bourbon Heritage Month
Image Source: Michter's
September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, when distilleries release some of their best bottles. This year's notable releases include Kentucky Owl's Dry State bourbon ($1,000 a bottle), the annual Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon ($150); Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon ($130); Michter’s 10-year-old single barrel bourbon ($130); Blade and Bow’s 22-year-old straight bourbon ($1,000); a high-wheat bourbon from Colorado’s Old Elk distillery ($70); and the barrel-strength Boston Batch from Booker’s ($90).
2,600-Year-Old Phoenician Winery Discovered In Lebanon
Image Source: The Drinks Business
Archeologists in Lebanon have excavated a wine press used as early as the 7th century B.C. The remains of the 2,600-year-old wine press were discovered during an archaeological dig at Tell el-Burak, a Lebanese city near the Mediterranean sea in what would have been ancient Phoenician homelands. The discovery suggests that wine previously found in hundreds of amphorae in two Phoenician shipwrecks off the Israeli coast was supplied by the Tell el-Burak winery.
New "Strongest Beer In The World" Sells Out In A Day
Image Source: BrewDog
Scottish brewing company, BrewDog, and German brewer, Schorschbräu, have settled a decade-long rivalry over who could make the strongest beer. The two breweries collaborated on “Strength In Numbers,” now considered the strongest beer in the world at 57% alcohol by volume (ABV). The high-alcohol brew is made by a process known as “fractional freezing,” and when released in the UK at £29 ($37.50) per bottle, it sold out within a day.
Why Whiskey Age Statements Can Be Deceptive
The longer a distilled spirit is left in an aging barrel, the greater the concentration of flavor compounds it collects from the barrel. Spirits also evaporate over time, a portion known as “the angel’s share.” That’s one reason why older whiskeys cost more: there is less in the barrel for the distiller to sell. The accepted wisdom is that older whiskeys are worth more, but time is not the only factor influencing evaporation. Temperature and humidity also effect the rate at which the spirit evaporates in the barrel. And evaporation rates vary around the world. “In Scotland, the angel’s share evaporation rate is 1 to 2 percent per year,” says award-winning spirits importer Raj Sabharwal. “Whereas in Bangalore it’s 10 to 15 percent.” Warmer and drier climactic conditions will, in effect, “age” a whiskey sooner. Sabharwal points to Indian single malt producer Amrut Fusion located in Bangalore in southern India. The Amrut distillery sits roughly 3,000 feet above sea level, and at that altitude, temperature highs range from a warm 75 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to a hot 120 degrees in summer. Since the distiller is inland, the humidity also stays low all year, ranging from 45 percent in the winter to 75 percent in summer. Amrut’s spirits evaporate and concentrate in flavor in just a few years. In Scotland, on the other hand, the typical temperature range is a somewhat low 36 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity levels stay between 70 and 90 percent. With those climactic conditions, it takes longer for Scotch whiskeys to evaporate and concentrate in flavor. But it stands to reason that a 12-year-old single malt from Bangalore may be nearly as flavorful–and expensive–as an 18-year-old single malt from Scotland.
The Role Of Yeast In Creating Distinct Bourbon Flavor Profiles
Without yeast, there would be no alcohol. The single-cell organism feeds on sugar from grape juice or mash, a mixture of grains and water, converting it to carbon dioxide and alcohol. However yeast brings flavor as well, a fact seldom discussed in the world of distilled spirits. When it comes to spirits such as bourbon, individual strains of yeast perform differently and produce different flavor compounds according to the type of sugar the yeast feeds on, the fermentation temperature, and the total fermentation time. Distillers either use proprietary strains, which are live-culture yeasts continually produced at their facilities for generations, or strains purchased from producers, who offer live and dried strains. Distilleries are generally tight lipped about the yeast strains they use. However, the Kentucky-based Four Roses distillery share “recipes” for its whiskeys. The distillery has a collection of over 300 strains, but uses only five of them and two different mash bills to create the 10 base recipes for its various bourbons. On the Four Roses website, five-letter codes show the yeast strains and mash bills used. For instance, the “K” strain adds some spice to certain whiskeys, while the “V” strain adds lighter notes of fruit to others. Consumers haven’t shown much interest in yeast strains in the past, at least not as much as distillers. But different strains of yeast help to create the wide variety of flavor profiles of different bourbons. “I think yeast may be the single most important thing in [spirits production],” says Ian Glomski, founder of Virginia distillery Vitae Spirits.
Molson Coors Brings Yuengling Westward
D.G. Yuengling markets itself as “America’s Oldest Brewery” and its most popular brew is simply called “lager” in bars east of the Mississippi River. But fans in the West have had a harder time finding Yuengling. That will change next year. The Pennsylvania brewery just announced a partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company to increase Yuengling’s production and expand its distribution to millions of new consumers outside of Yuengling’s current 22-state market. “This partnership is a great opportunity for us to grow our distribution footprint for the long-term, while continuing to support our existing markets and the communities in which we operate,” said Wendy Yuengling, chief administrative officer at Yuengling. The partnership is expected to begin in late 2021. “This is a huge growth opportunity for Yuengling, it’s a huge growth opportunity for Molson Coors, and we’re going to make a whole lot of Yuengling fans out west really happy,” said Gavin Hattersley, CEO and president of Molson Coors Beverage Company.
Craft Beer Industry Takes Steps To Hire Black Brewers
According to a survey by the Brewers Association, which represents America’s craft beer industry, less than 1% of US craft brewers are Black. “I’ve been sitting in the brewmaster’s chair for more than 30 years, and I’ve never seen a single African-American applicant for a brewing job,” said Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. To help change that, Mr. Oliver started the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, named after the influential beer and whiskey writer who died in 2007. The foundation has already received $97,000 in GoFundMe donations and will use the funds to create brewing and distilling scholarships for people of color. The Brewers Association itself has also changed its policies and created a new position to bring more Black people into the industry. Kevin Blodger, chairman of the Association’s diversity committee and founder of Union Craft Brewing, announced the hiring of the Association’s first diversity ambassador, Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham. The Association also announced a new code of conduct aimed at curbing discrimination, racism, and bias in the workplace.
Soaring Demand For Canned Beverages Deepens Can Shortage
Can manufacturers are ramping up production as demand for canned beverages continues to increase throughout the pandemic. When restaurants, sports stadiums and other venues closed, brewers switched their packaging from kegs to cans. As a result, U.S. sales of aluminum cans for beverages rose 24% by volume in March, according to the research firm IRI. Cans’ share of the beer and hard-seltzer market in the U.S. shot up to 67% from 60% in the first quarter, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Molson Coors Beverage Co., which owns Miller Lite, said they had to suspend production after struggling to find enough tall 16-ounce cans, and they expect a shortage in 12 ounce cans as well. “Every company that makes anything in the 12-ounce can has been challenged to some degree by the global can shortage,” said Molson Coors Chief Executive Gavin Hattersley. According to Timothy Donahue, CEO of major U.S. can manufacturer Crown Holdings, “From now until the end of the year, and in almost every market where we produce, cans will be in short supply.”
The Science Of Barrel Char And Its Influence On Whiskey Flavor
American oak barrels are typically charred before being filled with whiskey for aging. Charring the inside of a barrel doesn’t necessarily create a smoky taste in whiskey. But it does change the chemistry of the oak, which greatly enhances the flavors and aromas in the spirit. Compounds in oak wood that are affected by charring include cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, tannins, and oak lactones. When charred, hemicellulose breaks down into wood sugars, which effectively caramelize, imparting notes of brown sugar, caramel, and toffee to the whiskey. Charring lignin creates the compound vanillin, which gives whiskey the aromas of vanilla. The more a barrel is charred, the more vanilla aroma the whiskey will have. A higher char level also reduces tannins in the barrel, making the whiskey taste less bitter and astringent. American oak is particularly high in oak lactones, which lend woody and coconut flavors to many bourbons. The higher the char level, the lower the oak lactones and its associated flavors.
While char levels vary among distillers and brands, most American oak barrels are charred for less than a minute and the char is only about 1/8″ to 1/4″ deep. Official char designations range from #1 to #4. In a #1 char, the barrel interior is burned for 15 seconds, #2 for 30 seconds, #3 for 35 seconds, and #4 for 55 seconds. A #4 char is also known as “alligator char” because the intense burning roughs up the wood’s texture, causing it resemble alligator skin. Char levels #3 and #4 are most common among American bourbons and whiskeys, giving a spicy, smoky flavor profile. Charring also helps filter out unwanted compounds from whiskey. When wood is charred, it leaves behind carbon, one of the most widely used substances in filtration systems. Inside a charred bourbon barrel, the carbon filters away unwanted sulfur and other compounds, creating a softer and mellower flavor profile in the whiskey.
